Imperfections & Flaws
by LyonBreach
Summary: I'm flawed and I'm imperfect. I can't change that, it's who I am and it's made me the person I am now. I just need someone to save me from all of this. Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel. M due to dark themes and later explicit content. Claude/OC. -HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1: Introductions From Ophelia

**Imperfections and Flaws**

**Chapter 1: Introductions From Ophelia**

"You and I are on two different levels, I honestly cannot compete with someone—no _something_ like you, Claude. It's simply not built in my nature to do so."

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><p>Can you smell it? The fresh morning air as it drifts through my window of my room? My shabby, dirty, depressing room. My room that is not really <em>mines<em>. My room that feels like a prison cell, a cage, or temporary containment for me. This room isn't a room, well to me it isn't. This room belongs to the orphanage I'm currently residing at. This orphanage is going to be the end of me. It's cold here, it's practically empty. Poor. Barren. Those are the only words that can be used to describe it. Technically, this orphanage isn't really an orphanage. They use the word, 'orphanage' to describe the horrors that go on behind the closed doors here. London's government figured that since kids weren't being adopted from here, they might as well get rid of the residents somehow. So that's how Weather Fain's orphanage turned into Gideon Eldridge's playground.

Gideon Eldridge. How should I describe this man…I think the words: sickening, incorrigible, and slightly psychotic, can describe this sick excuse for a man. As I mentioned before, the place I stay at now has been turned from an orphanage to a sick experiment playground for this man. He was apparently 'hired' by the Queen herself, Lady Elizabeth. I never knew that our Queen would harbor such horrid desires as these. Desires to purify the world of 'impure' people. Apparently, children without parents are considered 'impure' to her as she deemed it was fine for a repulsive man like Gideon to conduct 'experiments' on kids. Kids like us. Kids like me. I spent two depressing, revolting years here. Want to know why they're so revolting? Apparently, the minute Gideon stepped foot here a year ago and saw me, I instantly became his favorite play toy. I would always ask him repetitively, 'why?'

He would always answer, "You're beautiful. Sickeningly beautiful. You stood out from the other children, and I thought, 'that wouldn't do'. I chose _**you**_ because I wanted to be the one to _**break**_ you. I want to show you, that you're nothing but imperfections and flaws. I want to destroy and break you, to the point of where you won't want to live anymore. I will take away anything and everything precious to you. I don't want to make you feel depression; I want to make you _**live it**_. Do you hear me? I'll never let you go, _**you're mine**_."

Those words would run through my mind so many times while he would torture me and conduct experiments that I would object to. That's not where he stops though; he's taken something else from me too, something I can't ever really get back. The first act he did to 'break' me, was none other than to deflower me. It effectively worked, as I refused to eat and my barriers came crashing down. I didn't feel beautiful, I felt as if I was ugly inside and out. After finishing the deed, Gideon only got up and flashed me a nasty smile.

His words, exactly, were, "this is only the beginning. If you think you're broken now, wait until I have some more fun with you. I should honestly thank the Queen for this opportunity she's granted me. Hah, well then, see you tomorrow sweet flower. Don't miss me too much~."

I shivered at those words. It was morning already, but the sun hasn't risen yet. The only reason why I'm awake now is because there's screams coming from down the hall. Another kid is being subjected to their, 'experiments'. I'm surprised I'm actually alive past four experiments. In the past two years, new residents come and replace the old ones that left. In terms of 'leaving', they don't leave the orphanage. They simply pass away and the disgusting old fools that work here now cover it up by saying they were adopted into a new loving family after their successful experiments. Since the beginning when they arrived here, I knew about seventeen other kids. I guess you could call us the 'originals'. After a time span of two years, the number seventeen decreased slowly until there were only three left. I was one of the remaining three, and my best friend was the second of the two. As of right now, number three is going through all of the pain. I don't even think there's a three anymore, he kind of lost his sanity a few months back. The screaming finally went silent, and I could hear a loud, 'thump' as the body was carelessly dumped on the ground. The shuffling of bags could be heard then footsteps down the hall.

Now there were officially only two originals. The second original, as I mentioned before, is my best and only friend. He's been here with me since the beginning and we just connected _like that_. I don't know what it is about him, but he has this comforting air about him. When I'm near him, it's like I'm not even in some crazy place with people set out to hurt me. I guess you can say he's what makes living here everyday somewhat bearable. I'm thankful I have someone like Garrett with me. His family left him here after deciding that he wasn't worthy of being their heir since he was always so sick, so they threw him here. If only they knew what this place has become, would they change their minds?

As for me, my name's Ophelia. No last name really because I have no family. Garrett thinks I'm related to some guy named Victor Hartford, since our looks are dead on exact. It couldn't be, because Victor Hartford is a bachelor, in his mid thirties, and part of the lines of nobles directly under the Queen. Why would someone like me or how could someone like me be possibly related to _that_? After what the Queen's done, I wish nothing but harm for her and her followers. The last thing I'd want is to be related by blood to any of those mongrels.

Garrett finds my personality funny. He says my dry, sadistic sense of humor really cracks him up. Huh, I don't know how, but he certainly is a weird one. Well, it may also be weird that he's about five years younger than me. He's only twelve, and I'm seventeen, about to turn eighteen in the next month or so. I honestly don't remember my own birthday! He came to the orphanage, like I said, two years ago a few months after I arrived. He's got dirty blonde hair, and these gorgeous green eyes that captivate you. However, the doctors here decided that he's too perfect of a child so they knocked his looks down a bit. His dirty locks grew long and shaggy, and one of his eyes went missing. He's always wearing a gauze over his left eye now, since the doctors took it. After going through such pain, he came back to the room we shared with a sad smile on his beautiful face.

_"They took it Lily, they took my eye," he told her as he sat next to her._

_ "W-why would they take y-your eye Ret?" I asked, already knowing the answer myself._

_ "They wanted to know why an 'impure' kid like me would have such 'beautiful' eyes. They said it was undeserving, and that it wasn't fair to all of the pure people. An impure kid like me with something beautiful, hah. I'm anything but beautiful, Lily." He pulled his knees close to his chest and rested his chin on his kneecaps._

_ "That's not true. You're beautiful inside and outside Ret. Don't ever forget that. You don't think I don't know what they're trying to do to us? They're trying to break us, mentally and physically. They want to strip us of everything we have, including our feelings. These people—no they don't deserve to be called people. These monsters, they live to see us suffer in agony. I won't give them what they want though. I'll fight until the end, if I have to. Just bear with it, bear with me. Don't give up before I do, okay Ret? Swear on it." I told him, lifting my hand up to my face. I bit down on my thumb, drawing blood, then held it up in front of him. He looked up slowly, his only eye filled with sorrow and hope at the same time. He copied my actions, then our fingers met and our blood mixed. _

_ "It's a blood compact. You must be serious about this Lily, and don't worry. I don't plan on dying before you, since I'm younger than you. Let's just hope we can live through this. I'll be with you until the end."_

_ "Same here, Ret, same here."_

I looked down at the kid that actually made a blood compact with me. He was snoring softly and shivering slightly. I threw a small smile at him and reached over. I grabbed my thin blanket that I wasn't using and covered him with it. His body shifted, then stopped shivering. I shifted my gaze back outside. It was almost morning as the sun was starting to rise slowly. Now that I remember it, the third original had told me something a month ago, before he went completely loony. Something about demons, and contracting with it.

_"Hey Ophelia!" a voice exclaimed from the other side of the hallway._

_ "What do you want Lance?" I asked back, cautious of what he was trying to do. He was on the verge of insanity already, as he would give off hysterical fits of laughter in the middle of the night._

_ "Y'know there's a legend around here. My friends told me! The faeries! They exist! Ya just gotta believe and ya gotta do this ritual to get it's attention! My friends, the ones who tell me everything, say that if you follow the ritual then something magical will happen. Someone will come and fulfill all your wishes! Isn't that great!" he exclaimed hysterically. Those tests and torture sessions were starting to get to him._

_ "L-lance you okay? You don't sound alright," I reply with concern in my voice. _

_ "Nah I'm fine, dandy! Ophelia…since I'm not allowed to leave my room anymore…can…can you perform this ritual for me! Please? I just want to know if it's true, if my friends are telling the truth!" he looked at me with pleading eyes, almost begging. I couldn't turn his request down, when he mentioned 'his friends' I couldn't reject him. In truth, he didn't have any friends, his mind was playing tricks with him. He would tell me everyday that people would talk to him, which would be a lie because he had a room to himself and himself only. He also says that he has two roommates that have been with him for some time. It's false though, the room's empty except for him. I kinda pitied the guy. He was suffering from an extreme case of schizophrenia. _

_ "Y-yeah, sure. What's the ritual?" I asked, voice conveying my hesitation._

_ "Alright, so you can only perform this early in the morning, around when the sun rises. You walk outside into the forest and find a spider web covered with morning dew. You then walk through the dew covered spider web and let it rest on your face. After that, you head towards a thick tree that stands out from all other trees, and whisper the words, 'hoheo taralna, rondero tarel'. Only then will the faeries show themselves. You gotta do it for me Ophelia, just try!"_

I couldn't really blame him, but I did tell him I was going to try. It's the least I could do for a fellow kid that suffered through so much. It's all I can do.

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><p><strong>AN: Yes I am aware that this story is off of my Quizilla account, but I transferred this story here hoping to reach a broader audience. Please review as this would be helpful to me c: .**

**The reason for Ophelia speaking in the informal manner is to show that she's a part of the lower class in the Victorian Era. Higher classes like the Queen or Ciel would speak in a formal way, avoiding contractions and poor grammar. Just thought I'd let you know. c:**


	2. Chapter 2: Goodbye Old, Hello New

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 2: Goodbye Old Friend, Hello New Friend**

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><p>The memory of the talk between Lance and I had been burned into my memory. I mean, when someone talks to you hysterically while yelling about people that didn't exist, or rather <em>things<em>, you kind of have it lingering around your head for days. I didn't do it the next day, though. I had told him I would try it, give it a chance. I just didn't know when I would, or if I even _could_. You see, here it's hard to get outside. We have these things called privileges. In order to get them, you had to be a good toy and listen to your owner. I didn't want to do that, however, and I was immediately deemed as a defected toy apart from the rest. I wasn't about to go and hand myself over so easily.

I sat in the corner of my confinement with Ret snoring lightly on the other side of the room. This was for precautions as there would be dire consequences if the both of us were caught within a foot of each other. Gideon had agreed to let us board together, but as long as he and I didn't come into contact with each other. It often felt as if we were separated by an invisible wall, hearing and seeing each other but not being able to touch or hold. It was a painful experience as we had been caught before and given a painful punishment to help remind us where we stood. This place was a hell, a hell like no other. A hell I desperately wanted to get out of, no matter what the cost. This was when I had decided; when I was sitting on the opposite end of Ret watching him sleep. I was going to do it; I was going to try to contract a demon.

In order to do that first, I needed to either be a good toy and hand myself over like I didn't value my existence or individuality, or I could attempt to find a way out via escape route. I chose the latter.

I had waited for Ret to wake up before I tried to come up with my plan. I wanted to tell him personally that he could not be involved and that if I got caught, I would be solely responsible.

The bad part about this plan was that his reaction was different from what I expected. Instead of the calm approval, he tried to lash out at me. Grab me. Anything that would pull my body to him. It didn't work because I backed up, remembering the consequences of what would happen if contact were to happen between us. Once he, too, remembered, he backed up a bit back to his corner. His gaze didn't shift and his glare intensified.

"When did you come up with this? When were you actually going to tell me? Why are you abandoning me? What happened to the blood compact? What happened to us?" He kept firing questions after questions, not giving me any time to reply to them.

"Look, Ret, I'm being honest here. I came up with the plan today while you were sleeping. I was going to tell you once you woke up. The only reason why I'm doing this is because if I were able to succeed in my plans, I would be able to free us both. The blood compact still applies, I would never abandon you. Ret, you've been with me through thick and thin, the last thing I want to do is to leave you hanging. Don't lose your faith in me, just believe. I'll be okay," I tried telling him. His facial expression didn't stir as he still gazed at me with a frantic look in his eyes.

I felt sorry; I honestly didn't expect him to react like this. I thought he would be supportive of my decisions. I mean, after all, it was for the benefit of _us_ not _me_.

"I don't like this idea, but I want to do whatever I can to help. I won't feel right unless I do something. It doesn't matter what, just as long as I'm helping you," he told me, looking away. His body slumped even further, displaying that he had admitted defeat.

I smiled weakly and moved my hand so that my chin could rest on it. "Ret, thank you. You don't know how much this means to me; I mean, it means a lot. Like…you don't even know."

Ret turned his head around and narrowed his eyes. He then whispered, "When were you planning on escaping? That way…you know… I could work out a time frame…"

"About early in the morning, before the sun rises."

"That'll work. Everyone's asleep by then and the researchers are in their labs or in bed. Yeah, that'll work. Tomorrow?"

"Tonight."

"What! Why?"

"I need to do it as soon as possible, Ret. The sooner the better. Just think of it as your freedom, it's better to have it now than later."

"Y-yeah. Alright then. Let's start now. What's the plan?"

"I was thinking that you stay here and I sneak through the halls, but since you want in I guess you can be my lookout."

"Alright then, let's go."

That was that. Ret and I stood up, nodded to each other, and both headed towards the door. Ret opened it and peered down both sides of the hall. It was empty, save the candles that poorly lit the dim halls. Ret turned back to me and nodded. That was when the escape started.

I ran to the left first, following Ret. The halls here were like a maze, but good thing the researchers didn't do any renovations to it. It was the same as the old Weather Fain's we had grown up exploring. It didn't take long as we both reached the front entrance. We were so close; I could practically smell the fresh air wavering in through the small cracks in the door's hinges.

"Where do you defected toys think you're going?"

At that voice, my eyes went wide like deer caught in headlights. I turned around slowly to see Gideon throwing me an irked look of annoyance as it was early in the morning. He was holding something, something squirming in his arms. Only then did I notice that the 'thing' squirming was Ret.

"Ret! Let him go!" I yelled. My heart started pumping faster; I could practically feel the blood flowing through my veins. My breathing became ragged, my palms sweaty.

"How do I say this…no. I refuse. He's my property and so are you. Now be a good toy and head back to your room with me, I promise your punishment won't be _that_ bad tomorrow," he replied. The left side of his mouth twitched upwards into an eerie grin. His hand reached forward and beckoned me to him.

"I-I refuse! Let Ret go!" I repeated once more. My demands were easily ignored as Gideon reached into his right pocket and pulled out a tiny syringe. He adjusted Ret so that his left hand could go to the syringe and flick it, releasing droplets of a translucent liquid. His eyes shifted slowly from the syringe, to Ret, then to me.

"Do you want to know what this is, dear Ophelia? This," he said holding the syringe closer to Ret's neck, "is a poison sample retrieved from a deadly spider here in these labs. It's so potent and has the ability to kill off forty men in ten minutes if the antivenin is not administered within that time frame. Just imagine what it would do to one adolescent boy." His grin grew even wider, a few chuckles escaping from his mouth.

Seeing the needle inch closer to him every second, Ret started kicking harder and harder to try to get away. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. How would I save Ret? How would I save myself? I didn't even know that I was panicking so much until I felt the watery liquid that had dropped from my face hit the floor.

"Now, now Ophelia. Don't cry. It'll mar that disgusting face of yours. I believe the death of your beloved friend will make you evolve as that is what I am striving for: evolution and the purification of the disastrous genes that came before it."

I stood there frozen; the needle was practically at Ret's neck now. It was threatening to puncture his neck and hit his veins. My eyes locked with him, sending signals of desperation, regret, and apologies towards his way. His eyes seemed to soften and his face shifted from frightened to accepting. No words had left his mouth, but his lips formed the words, "I love you". Those words hit Ophelia hard as they snapped her out of her trance.

It was too late, the needle had slipped into his flesh and the syringe had been pressed. Once the syringe was empty, there was a minute of silence before a scarring scream was heard from Ret. He screamed, kicked, and bashed. Gideon released him and shoved his body to the other side of the room. There, Ret had fallen still. From where I stood, I could see that Ret was foaming at the mouth, his face twisted and frozen in a final scream of agony.

I didn't blink. My best friend had just died before me. I looked back to the monster who had taken away the only thing left in this world for me. He was only standing there, smiling happily as if nothing had ever happened. No, this wouldn't do. This isn't justice. This isn't fair.

I turned around and ran. On my way out, I could hear that heartless man say, "That's right, run Ophelia. Run and run, but in the end, you'll run back to me. I _own_ you. You are _mine_. Nobody else's! Grow strong Ophelia, and let your hate for me nourish you. _Mine and mine only until the end~!"_ Then chuckling, wicked slow chuckling.

I didn't know where I was running as I wasn't paying attention. Only Ret's death was replaying through my head, over and over. I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped and collapsed on the ground, trying my best to catch my breath. My hand instinctively reached up and grabbed my chest right above my heart. It was aching so badly that I didn't even know what to do. Maybe water, yeah water. It would calm my nerves and I'll just sit to clear my head by a tree or something.

Finding a stream wasn't as hard as there was a rushing sound followed by splashing nearby. I walked over to the stream and fell on my knees. My face hovered over the stream and I stared into the reflection. The girl in the water was looking at me with an empty look in her eyes. Her hair was in a horrible condition, the brown started turning into a black from all of the grime and dirt that had collected over the months. Her face was filthy as well as her outfit. The girl in the water was practically just wearing rags. I narrowed my eyes in sorrow as I realized that girl in the water was _me_. I took this opportunity to clean up a bit and wash away the filth as best as I could. While doing so, I looked up and across from me was a forest of trees. It seemed that I had run off into a forest or field of sorts.

After washing up, I stood up slowly. Trying not to apply even more pressure on my already weak legs, I staggered over to the nearest tree and sat down under it. The sun was already rising and it seemed as if it were early morning. I looked around, not noticing anything significant but three other trees surrounding me in a circle. At first, it wasn't anything suspicious as they were just trees, but the way they were placed seemed like they surrounded me in a circle. I glanced around and noticed that the other trees nearby were scattered and not placed like this. Then it hit me. Was this the place Lance was talking about? To contract the demon?

My interest was piqued as I tried to stand up, using the tree as a support. I looked around frantically for a spider web covered in morning dew. When Lance was talking about this, he made it sound simpler than it was. It took me a good twenty minutes before I could actually find one, and this one was a tiny one at that. There was also a medium sized spider resting on it. I didn't know how to go about this as I didn't want to disturb the resting creature. I slowly reached my hand out and held it up to the spider.

Even though this spider didn't seem poisonous, it was best not to trust it as Ret's death gave me a whole new reason to fear these creatures.

The spider didn't move at first, but then slowly started to crawl down the web then onto my hand where it rested. I turned my body, holding my hand still, and placed it on a nearby branch. The spider crawled off and towards the inside hollow of the tree. I let out the breath I was holding in and turned my attention back to the spider web. It was starting to get warmer, so I knew that early morning would be over soon. I sucked my breath in and walked into the spider web. The dew and web didn't feel any different on my face. It felt as if there was a thin fabric on my face, but it wasn't noticeable. I looked around for any trees that stood out from the rest, and found that there wasn't any. I turned back around and was about to wipe the spider web off my face when I remembered the tree that I was sitting under. There was three other trees surrounding it and I was sitting in the middle.

I quickly walked back to where I recalled I sat and looked at the tree. At first, I didn't do anything but marvel at the tree as I took in the details that it exhibited. The leaves were different from the other trees surrounding it, instead of being circular and pointed at the tip like any normal leaf; the leaves on this tree were pointed at odd angle. The color was a slightly darker green and took on a blue-ish hue. I shook my head and snapped out of my wandering thoughts.

"Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel. Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel," I kept repeating these words, but nothing happened. I closed my eyes and tried again. "Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel."

That was when I noticed the sounds around me disappeared. I no longer heard the nearby birds or the sound of the stream flowing. I opened my eyes only to meet pitch darkness.

"Are you the human who called for me?" A voice echoed from a far distance.

"Y-yes…Show yourself!" I exclaimed in all directions.

"Quite a bold one you are. What do you wish for? I can grant you anything, in exchange for something else of course. Something I want," the voice sounded like it was getting closer and closer.

"I-I don't know what I want yet," I replied. My eyes started to flick all around me, trying to figure out where I was.

"Foolish human. If you do not know what you desire the most, then do not waste my time," the voice boomed back. Now, it almost appeared that the voice was right in front of me. I looked forward and there it was, a giant spider crawling down a web towards me. Instead of the normal eight eyes, there was a mask. A human mask.

"No, wait! Just let me think for a few seconds! You say I can have anything I want right?"

"Yes, that is a part of the exchange. Anything you desire, I will grant it."

"In exchange for what?"

"You do not know? When you contract with a demon, you are exchanging your soul for what you want. Of course, do not let that deter you from making your choice."

"…Before I do make my choice, I want to see what you look like. Show me your face."

The demon seemed shocked at my request, as if nobody had ever asked it to reveal itself.

"What form do you want me to assume?"

"You can change forms? Well…the one that you're most comfortable with. I don't mind."

"Very well," he said. Then, there was blackness again. I tried to adjust my eyes but failed. Once the darkness was over, there stood in front of me a man appearing to be in his late twenties. His hair was parted. The majority of his hair was swept upwards to the right with bangs caressing the sides of his face. He had sharp facial features and golden eyes that seemed cold and emotionless. "As you requested."

"W-wow…you actually look handsome," I muttered subconsciously.

"Yes, my previous master was a slightly older woman than you that only wanted riches and fame. She preferred beautiful people, as she stated."

"My, what a vain person she was," I replied nonchalantly.

"Indeed. Now, back to the topic at hand. What is your request of me?" He asked, bowing in the process.

"I…I wish for revenge. However, during that period in which you help me enact my revenge on the people who have wronged me, you are not to hurt me. You are to always protect me, never hurt me, and are to answer me at the beck and call. In exchange, you will get my soul when all of the people who have ever given me injustice have paid. Is this a reasonable request?"

"Very well, your request is granted," the demon stated before he started walking closer to me. Although he started off with a walk, he was in front of me in no time.

There was barely any space between us save the small gap that was threatening to close.

"Where would you like me to place the sign of our contract? May I note that the more obvious the place, the stronger the contract." He whispered. His breath hit my face and sent me spiraling elsewhere as I never had contact with anyone else outside of the orphanage this close.

"M-my...tongue. That's obvious right? But when I talk, people won't be able to see it."

"Very well, my lady," he said before grabbing my jaw and opening my mouth. He then dipped his head closer to my mouth and placed his lips on mine. My eyes opened wide as I've never kissed or been kissed by anyone. I had no idea what he was doing as I tried to shove him away. It didn't work as he was a demon and physically stronger than me. He then looked me straight in the eyes and then I started to relax more. His eyes were red and glowing now, as if he put a charm over me. My body went from tense to relaxed as I began to slump and lean on him. His tongue found mines and lifted it up. He proceeded to bite it hard, causing me to jolt and scream in pain. So that's why he kissed me, he was applying the contract's seal. After a minute of searing pain, he let go of me and helped me stand up. "I'm sorry. I should have told you first that the contract is applied via my fangs. My venom is what creates the seal tying me to you. As you can see, my seal was previously placed on my neck. Where would you like to place my seal?" The demon asked, bowing once more in an attempt at an apology.

"…Don't do that again, ever. I'd prefer it if the seal was somewhere obvious on you too…your tongue. Place it on your tongue. That way, when you talk it won't stand out seeing as you don't open your mouth as much. By the way, what did your previous master call you? That way, I don't have to keep referring to you as 'demon'," I replied, inspecting my tongue in my mouth to see if the puncture wounds were still there. They weren't.

"As you wish, my lady. On my tongue it is, then. My previous master referred to me as Claude Faustus, even though that is not a very flattering name."

"Alright then. By the way Claude, do you have anything you can wear over your eyes? Like glasses or can you change their colors? Your piercing eyes make it hard for direct eye contact," I stated as I my eyes drifted away from his gaze.

"I can not change them, as I do not like altering my form often. However, I do have glasses from my previous master," he said as he reached into his front pocket of his vest and pulled out glasses with a thin steel frame. "Will this do?"

"Yes, it'll do fine. Thanks. One more question though, where would I start with this…with my revenge?"

"I can not tell you, as this is your revenge. I am only here to assist you. I would recommend, however, finding shelter first. There is a town near here, quite vastly populated. London, I believe it's called. Shall we head there?"

"Yes, let's head there first. Claude, what can you do as a human?"

"I used to be a butler, but I am proficient at anything and everything."

"Then I need you to pick up an occupation while I find one for myself. This is your first order."

"Very well, my lady. As you command, I am loyal only to Lady Ophelia."

"…How do you know my name?"

"I'm a demon, I know everything and anything."

"I don't feel safe knowing that, but since you know my name I might as well introduce myself first. My name is Ophelia Lockhart Gray, according to the files that I was registered under at the orphanage. I don't use my last name though, as I feel it no longer has any significance to me. You can just call me Ophelia, no need for the 'master' or 'lady' titles," I told him blatantly.

"As you wish, Ophelia."

"Good, now go off and find yourself a stable occupation. I believe an inconspicuous place will be good, try a bakery or book store."

"Yes, Ophelia. As you command."

Claude left immediately, leaving Ophelia to sit and wait for him to come back. It had only been about thirty minutes before he reappeared before her and knelt on one knee to address her.

"As you have commanded, I have obtained a job at a bookstore. It is a part time job, but it will sustain us while you figure out what you want to do with your revenge. I have also found a small flat across the street from a morgue owned by a man that keeps to himself. We should be fine there for a long time."

"You were faster than I thought, Claude! Oh, and good job on finding a job and a place to stay. Thank you."

"I've also found you some clothes to change out of, as it would be suspicious if you were to come to London dressed like that," he said pointing out the state of my clothes which had seemed to turn to rags, exposing a large portion of skin. More skin than a lady should reveal.

"Ah, yes. Thank you," I said as I took the clothes he held out to me and ran behind a tree to change. The corset was the hardest to put on as I haven't worn one in such a long time. "C-Claude? I need help! I…I don't know how to put on this corset. Can you please help me?" I asked shyly.

"Of course, Ophelia. Anything for my lady."

Claude appeared behind me and started to weave the laces through the matching holes. Soon enough, he tightened the corset and tied it then left to give me privacy.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed quietly. I continued to slip on more articles of clothing until I was wearing a slim dress that didn't flare out as much as other women's dresses would. "I think you did my body frame justice Claude, this dress fits me well. Again, thank you."

"Anything for my lady. Shall we head off Ophelia? I have called a carriage already and it is waiting for us."

"Yes, let's go."

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><p><strong>AN: Well, how is it so far? :] Please tell me if you have suggestions or comments. Anything to keep me going will do.**

**So the part with Claude kissing Ophelia was not expected, was it? ;] It doesn't mean anything though, as he was just simply placing the contract's seal on her via his venom. As his demon form is shown as a spider, I figured to have a creative way for his contract to be formed as it doesn't speak about it much in Kuroshitsuji 2. **

**Thank you for keeping up with this story! ^ u ^**


	3. Chapter 3: It's so Loud Inside my Head

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 3: It's so Loud Inside my Head**

The carriage ride to London was not a long one. It was ten minutes at most. To me, it felt as if the ride was taking an eternity or so. I don't know when was the last time I was in such a populated place. I've practically spent three-fourths of my life in that orphanage. I don't know how to live my life now as I'm technically free and don't have anybody hovering over me, watching my moves or actions every minute of my life. I'm free and it feels...I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling right now. My emotions are on the edge of bliss and grief at the same time, almost as if my emotions were a pendulum swaying back and forth. The only downside to my freedom was the sacrifice of my one and only friend. I hope he's in a better place now; he deserves it, poor soul.

Now, for my revenge…how was I going to go about this? Am I just going to march straight up to Gideon and have Claude execute him? Who else has ever wronged me…the Queen. The Queen ordered Gideon to the orphanage. If it weren't for her jurisdiction, Ret and I would never have encountered him. Ret would still be alive. The Queen, the Queen's the blame! However much I want them all dead, I can't just march up to them and have their bodies butchered up. No, this is going to take some time. My revenge was going to be long and sweet. I am going to enjoy it, not let it flash by me in an instant. They'll suffer, those bastards.

All of these thoughts were swirling in my head during the ride. It mainly kept flashing back to Ret and his death. It seemed as if someone had put that scene on infinite repeat in my mind. I just couldn't just get rid of the thoughts regardless of how much I tried to distract myself. Eventually, I think Claude caught onto my distress as his eyes lingered on mines. I wouldn't look at him though; I refused to. I'm a strong person despite the hell I've been through. I wasn't about to reveal my weaknesses to the demon beside me, the demon that could easily take advantage of the situation.

"Claude," I turned my head towards him and shifted my eyes to his. "This is going to be your second order…I want you to never lie to me. Is this clear?" Even though a part of his contract was to never hurt me, I could never be sure. Better safe than sorry as they say.

"Yes, Ophelia. I understand," he replied as his eyes narrowed. It seemed he was suspicious of me as well. Who was to blame him? An adolescent girl suddenly contracted with him while looking as if she had just fought a war and narrowly survived. An adolescent girl that seemed so lost and broken, yet she stood strong and held her ground. A human that Claude had never encountered in his lifespan as a demon.

"Good. Do you know how much longer it'll take to get to London?" I asked as I turned my head back the other way towards my side of the carriage.

"Judging from the speed of the carriage and the change in scenery, not long. If anything, we should be there in less than five minutes."

"Mm."

That was good news, we would be arriving to a new town together as new people. I would not be recognized, and I could start anew. Well, it was not like I _would_ be recognized anyways as I have never left the orphanage grounds until now.

The carriage slowly pulled to a stop as the horses in the front let out a tired neigh. I looked over to my left to see the seat empty and Claude gone. What the…when did he leave? How did I not notice? It was probably one of his demonic abilities. Seeing and experiencing his powers sets me on edge sometimes as I'm always waiting for the unexpected when it comes to him.

The door swung open and there stood Claude with his hand outstretched to me. I glanced at it and hesitantly took it. He then helped me out of the carriage, closed the door, then paid the driver a small pouch of coins. My eyes flickered to the coin pouch then to his eyes. He caught my message and leaned down.

"Money does not mean anything to demons, I can acquire meaningless things such as that easily," he whispered before pulling back and standing straight. I nodded at his response. "Follow me," he said as he began to lead the way to what I assumed to be our flat.

The flat didn't look so bad. It was quite decent, tall but sturdy. I opened the door and walked inside to find the rooms already fully decorated with furnishings and various items placed neatly away. It seemed like I was walking into someone else's home.

"Claude, did you buy all of this stuff?" I asked, amazed as I have never seen the majority of the items that lay before me.

"Yes, as I said before: money is not a problem. Is there anything else you wish for specifically?" he asked, bowing slightly again.

"N-No. This is good, thank you. You made it seem like a home already. You've actually done more than what I requested," I said, pointing out the effort he seemed to put into decorating the place. I walked around and picked up a flower from the vase resting on the table in the main room. The flower was a bluebell. I knew this because these flowers grew wildly around the playgrounds of the orphanage. I turned back around and my eyes met Claude's. Claude was just standing there, still as if he didn't know how to move.

"Claude, you need to act…more human. People don't stand around still like a rock all day, we move around you know," I said pointing out his odd behavior.

"Yes, Ophelia. I know that humans do not stand still all day although life would be simpler if they did. I will try to act more human-like in public, but I do not see the purpose of acting when I am in the premises of my shelter where I have absolute privacy from the rest of the world," he replied as he began to walk over to the stairs that my eyes had skipped over. I began to follow him as he led me up the stairs. The stairs were old, but sustainable. They held our weights fine, but the noise was eerie as if every step pained the stairs. We finally reached the top and two doors stood opposite of each other. "My room is the room on the left, yours to the right."

"Ah…thank you. Now if you don't mind, I'll just head to my room for a while. Please feel free to do whatever it is that you normally do until I call for you. Oh, and if you can, please prepare a meal as I haven't eaten in the last six hours. Thank you, Claude."

"As you wish, Ophelia. Anything that you request, I will abide to," Claude said before shutting the door to my room. The sound of his footsteps could be heard as the stairs were shrieking.

I took the time to explore about my new room. It was certainly superior to the room at the orphanage. Hell, anything was better than that abysmal hell hole. The room wasn't anything special, I noted. There was a bed built for two in the center of the room. Surrounding it was a few bookcases. There were only two windows in this room. I walked over to the first window, the one on the back wall. From the safety of my room, I watched the bustling streets of London in action. Gentlemen with ladies on their arms, chatting about simple nothings. Little boys and girls playing in an alley with old crates that were not of use anymore. My eyes wavered over to the building across from our flat. It seemed that we lived across from a morgue. I vaguely remembered Claude mentioning this, but he certainly did. The building appeared suspicious to me as the sign read, "Undertaker's". Who was this Undertaker? Was he the owner? Curiosity got the best of me. I started to head downstairs and out the front door. I wanted to know what that place contained.

Walking across the street was not a simple feat as I haven't encountered this many people before. I constantly bumped into random people I didn't know and kept muttering apologies as they turned around and commented. I finally made it across without causing too much trouble. My hand reached out for the door to push it forward. A small bell jingle was heard above me as the door quickly closed behind me. I leaned my back against the door, keeping it shut. I was getting paranoid now as nobody else could be seen in the room. I took this opportunity to walk around and explore the place. While gazing upwards at the shelves along the walls, I didn't notice the obstacles on the ground and clumsily tripped over what looked to be a coffin. I pushed myself off my knees fast and backed up. The coffin opened up slowly and small chuckling could be heard emanating from it.

"_Heheh~ _What brings you here, young lady? Are you here for a coffin? I think I have the _perfect_ size for you," a man began to speak as he slowly sat up and adjusted his robes. His looks threw me off as everything on him from head to toe was gray. He wore a gray hat with messy gray hair covering his face. A portion of his hair was braided into one long strand and his long bangs parted to cover his eyes. His robes were baggy with chains dangling off of the side. I narrowed my eyes to get a closer look at him. He had noticeable scars on his body, mainly his neck and face. The mysterious man held his hand out to me, attempting to shake my hand. I only stared at his hand seeing as I didn't even know the man and I was by myself with him here. Looking closer, I noted that his nails were painted black and were long; longer than men's fingernails should be.

Noticing that I wasn't going to take his hand, he pulled it back and his grin turned into a frown.

"_Shhhi…_you're no fun. _Hehehe_, lighten up~! You're too stiff, _want me to help~?_" he asked as he began to step towards me. Every step forward he took, I would take two back until I bumped into the wall. In my head, I was calling for Claude to come and find me here. "_Hmm~. _How very rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Undertaker and I own this morgue you're at. So, why the _visit~?_ Are you maybe here for…_information?_" he asked once more, settling himself on the lid of the coffin he appeared out of. His hands were resting on his lap while his fingers were busy twiddling.

"I-I was curious as to who owned this place. You see, I live across the street from you. I just recently moved here actually," I replied casually. While I spoke, my eyes zoomed in on random items strewn around the morgue. Upon the shelves sat jars full of opaque water with what seemed to be organs inside. My face cringed in disgust.

"Ah, a new face. Say, where did you say you were from before? _It seemed to slip my ears~,_" he asked, throwing me a creepy grin. Well, I deemed it as creepy since I couldn't see his eyes and only his smile was the first noticeable thing I saw when he first appeared.

"I…I didn't say where I was from. If you must know, I'm from a nearby town from here; not too far away," I replied, trying to avoid disclosing my former whereabouts to this mysterious chap. There was a long silence as the Undertaker kept grinning at me. It was beginning to unnerve me and in my head, I kept calling for Claude to come find me. Soon enough, the bell that hung over the door rung once more signaling a visitor. I looked over to who entered and saw that Claude was standing there stiff as a board, appearing to be tense. "C-Claude?" His eyes flickered over to where my voice came from and nodded.

"As you requested, I am here to fetch you and to tell you that dinner is prepared. Now if you please, follow me as it is unsafe to walk by yourself during late hours," he said as he walked over and grabbed my arm roughly.

During this whole scene, the Undertaker was watching Claude carefully, his grin long gone from his face. It appeared to me that they were both tense, seemingly ready to break out into a fight at any given moment. The whole time, I wondered. Why the animosity? It's only been nearly a day but I have to say I haven't seen Claude behave like this at all. Was he normally this way when around strangers? The Undertaker's joyfulness seemed to disappear as soon as Claude came into the room. My eyes shifted back and fro from Undertaker to Claude. Their expressions didn't change as Claude was staring at Undertaker directly, not blinking. I yanked on Claude's sleeve gently, signaling to him that we should leave. I turned back around and faced Undertaker.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. Look, since I'll be living here for a while, I'd like to get to know you better if that's alright with you," I asked politely, waiting for his response.

His cheerfulness seemed to come back as he replied with an enthusiastic, "_Of course, my dearest._ Anytime you want, stop on by. _I'll be waiting Ophelia~." _He waved to me as Claude guided me out of the door. While on the way out of the door, I realized that I had not introduced myself or given Undertaker a name yet he bid me farewell using my name. Maybe it was mentioned by Claude and he picked up on it. What a weird fellow he is, indeed.

Even though the walk wasn't that long, Claude was tugging hard and I practically had to jog a few steps to keep up with his long and fast strides. Once inside of the house, he released me roughly and walked to the kitchen area. I walked into the room cautiously as it seemed he was in a rather sour mood. I rubbed my arms gently as his grip was tight.

"Claude, is there anything wrong? It's only the first day, why are you so bitter?" I asked quietly.

My question wasn't answered as he attempted to dodge the question by busying himself with pretend work. I don't know what was wrong with him, but I figured it'd be best to just leave him alone for a while. He needed to cool down from whatever caused him to heat up like that. Was it the Undertaker that caused his cold persona?

Claude turned around, and with a stern face, told me, "Dinner is prepared and is awaiting at the table. After you finish dining, the bath will be arranged and ready for you."

"Thank you, Claude," I whispered quietly, not wanting him to get any angrier. At my response, he bowed and sharply left the room to tend to the bath.

I ate in complete silence as I let my thoughts run wildly through my head. The whole idea of my revenge and how to start it was harder than I thought because I didn't have any idea where to begin. I tried asking Claude, but he refused to tell me what to do or give me advice since he is only supposed to do my bidding, not my thinking.

I let out a small sigh and shifted my body so that my legs were crossed while I was sitting. My head rested on my left elbow as I used my right to stir the food in the bowl around with ennui. I continued stirring, letting my thoughts go loose as I didn't have the energy to reel them back in. As a matter of fact, I was so enticed in my boredom that I didn't notice Claude walk down the stairs and stand next to me until I felt his warm breath hit my neck. Once the feeling of his hot breath hit my neck, I immediately shot up and sat rigid against the chair with my back to the table.

"C-Claude, don't do that. You scared the life out of me," I said as I tried to calm my heartbeat down and recompose myself.

"I am sorry, Ophelia. I merely wanted to tell you that your bath is ready," he said as he gestured upstairs to where the steam was drifting from. "Would you like some help?" His tone surprised me as his character shifted from stoic to suggestive and seductive.

"What game are you trying to play at Claude? I hope you know, I don't take well to games," I replied. I stood up, huffed and began walking away from him towards the upstairs bathroom.

"Wait Ophelia, once again I am sorry. I am merely acting upon experience from what I have learned from my previous masters. The one before you, the extremely vain woman, she found it rather charming when I seduced people."

"That doesn't mean you can just take what you learned and apply it to me, Claude. I hope you can tell, but I'm entirely different from that woman that was your previous master."

"Of course, my apologies for assuming so. But we should get back to the topic at hand, which is the bath that is currently awaiting you. I will be downstairs once you are finished."

I didn't say anything as I turned around and made my way up the stairs. I closed the door quietly and began to walk to the bath tub with only the sounds of the 'pit-pat' of my feet crossing the room. In the process of walking to the bathtub, I began to discard my clothing in random directions. I sighed in content as I lowered my body into the hot water that engulfed me. The bath was so relaxing that I leaned back and eventually dozed off as the water soothed out my tensed muscles. I was awoken by the light tapping on the door. I opened one eye wearily and replied with a, 'Come in.'

As I requested, Claude came in holding a folded towel in his arms. He casually set the towel down on the side of the bathtub and turned towards me. His glasses were becoming fogged and steamy as the temperature of the water had not gone down any bit.

"Ophelia, it is late as of already. It is best if you finish up with your bath then retire for the night since tomorrow we have to plot the beginning of your, revenge." I paused and stared at him directly in the eyes. I wasn't self-conscious about my body as I knew Claude couldn't do anything to hurt me. I turned my head and used my arms to lift myself out of the bathtub. I hadn't stood up for a while as I fell asleep in the bathtub, so my legs were shaky. Almost all of my limbs were asleep, or numb with a tingling feeling. I stepped out of the bathtub, water dripping down my legs and hair. I grabbed the towel, dried myself off, then wrapped it around my body as I walked out the door with Claude following behind me closely.

The door to my room was opened before I walked in. I found a nightgown placed on my bed with two candles lit. One candle was placed on my nightstand and the other was in the hand of Claude. He stood by the door emotionless as I dropped the towel and quickly threw on the nightgown without any effort. I sat on my bed and let my gaze linger at the butler before nodding to him and tucking myself in. He took my nod as a cue to blow out the candle and the one by my nightstand. He then left the room, closing my door gently so that the sound would not disturb my sleep. What he didn't know was that I didn't sleep for quite some time as horrible memories kept swarming my head. It was around early morning before I finally drifted off to sleep.

_ "What the…what is this place? Where am I? Hello? Is anyone here?" I yelled out in confusion as I was surrounded by white nothingness. There wasn't much to take in as there wasn't anything around me. "Hey! Come on, answer me! Where am I?" I asked to particularly nobody._

_ "Lily? Is that you?" A voice asked me from behind. My body froze and my eyes went wide. I recognized that voice. That voice belonged to someone who wasn't with me anymore, someone dear and precious. I turned around and was met by an enormous, eerie shadow that had the face of Gideon Eldridge. His face wasn't that far away from mines, only a few centimeters. His gleaming eyes filled with craze stared into my eyes, and what felt to be my soul. His maniacal grin was still planted on his face, as if it was permanently pressed on. His mouth then shifted to form the words, 'I love you', but all that came out was Garret's voice. I didn't know how to react as I backed up from the entity. With every step that I took back, it would repeat more words using Garret's voice. It would spew blasphemy such as, "Save me, Lily!" or "I loved you Lily, why did you give up on me? You're a horrible person who can't even hold themself to their words! Liar!"_

_ "No! It's not that, Ret! I couldn't save you…I didn't know how. Please don't blame me!" I screamed back in desperation._

_ "__**Liar**__…__**liar…liar…liar…liar…ar…ar…ar**__," the words continued to echo on as the room was cleared of everything, leaving only a small laugh lingering in the air._

My body shot up from my bed. My bed, my sheets, and my body were covered in my perspiration. I looked around the room to make sure there wasn't anything nearby that was out to get me. I turned quickly to my left and screamed as I was startled by Claude's red eyes. His eyes glowed profusely and seemed to calm my nerves down as my body slumped and I relaxed.

"What happened, Ophelia? You were screaming for thirteen minutes continuously and would not wake up when I attempted to wake you. Did you have a nightmare?" Asked Claude, his voice still monotonous.

"Yes, Claude. I had…a n-nightmare. I dreamt that Ret was speaking to me…white room…Gideon…entity…blame…it's my fault," I began rambling as I wrapped my arms around myself to reassure myself that I was still alive. I stopped my actions for a second and reached out to grab Claude's face. I held his face in my hands and made him look directly at me. My eyes displayed anxiety and fear as I searched his eyes for anything that would reveal what my dream was about. His eyes were simply empty and void of any emotions or thoughts. I let go of his face and pushed him away. I scooted to the other side of the bed and wrapped the covers over my head. "Claude…don't leave. I want you to stay here until I fall asleep; no, all night. I want you to protect me from my nightmares. Don't ever let them come back, ever."

"Yes, my lady," Claude responded as he bowed then stood by the window with his arms by his side. I was too side tracked by the horrendous dream that I experienced that I didn't notice Claude and his formalities. The night was silent save for the few whimpers that escaped my throat and the tossing and turning in my bed. It seemed to me, even though I was asleep, that the sun would never come up as my sleep felt endless.

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><p><strong>AN: So how do you like chapter three? c: It took me a while, but I got it finished. Also, thanks to my beta ****Phantom Hitman 1412**** for catching errors where I couldn't. :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Good News, Bad News

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 4: Good News, Bad News**

_Disclaimer: Do I really need a disclaimer for this? D: I mean, seriously gaaaaais. I don't own Kuroshitsuji in any way (sadly). ; u ;_

_A/N: Heheh, sorry for the super late update. I mean, I've been caught up in a lot of...living. Harrhuehueee~. Oh yes, and a special thanks to __**Phantom Hitman 1412**__ for being a really great beta. :3 Anyways, enjoy!_

The morning was not kind to me since I was woken up by the sun's glaring rays. I blinked a few times and looked around the room. I was nearly startled to death (not the first time, might I add) as I saw Claude standing in the corner of the room with his hand held over his chest.

"Good morning, Ophelia. I have prepared breakfast and set your schedule out for the whole day. As soon as you get out of bed, we can begin the day," Claude said, while bowing.

"Claude, you're not my butler albeit you are my servant by contract. You don't have to do all of this, I can manage just fine," I replied while tossing my legs over the side of the bed. I raised my arms over my head and stretched out my legs.

"I understand, but seeing as how your body needs to recuperate from your previous stay at the orphanage, I considered it best if I handled things around the house for a while."

"Ah…that makes sense, thank you. Now, if you excuse me, can you please get out of the room so I can change?" I asked, blushing. He nodded and left the room as asked. His footsteps were heard going down the stairs and eventually fading off.

_'Wait, blushing?' _I thought_ 'Where did that come from? I never blush when it comes to my body…he saw it yesterday. I…shouldn't worry about it. He's a male, so naturally I'd be embarrassed. Silly me_' I thought as I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to clear my head. Where were these thoughts coming from, though?

I got out of bed, immediately stretching my back to remedy the asleep muscles that had not fully awoken yet. I reached over to the dresser in the corner of the room and grabbed the first thing I felt and pulled it on. It seemed Claude had stocked the dresser up with a variety of dresses that weren't too puffy or outrageous. I smiled at his choices, then walked out of the room and downstairs.

As I neared the bottom of the stairs, Claude stood there by the window staring out of it. It seemed he was intently watching the morgue across the street from us. It wasn't a big deal, but it seemed a little off to me. I ignored it, though, and began eating what Claude prepared for me.

"Have you thought out your revenge yet?" He asked with his back still turned to me.

"Ah, about that. I don't know where to begin, really."

"If I may, I advise you to rise up the social hierarchy. That way, you have more of an advantage."

"How is that supposed to happen, I'm a nobody. Wouldn't it be suspicious if all of the sudden a new noble family came out of nowhere?" I asked, curious.

"Ah, I can cover that. What do you say? Will you heed my advice?"

"Gah, stop! Stop! Claude, can you please not talk to me as if I were an inferior being? I mean…it's appropriate sometimes, but since you're going to be around me a lot you know...maybe you can ease up a bit? I feel as if I'm speaking to an authority or something. Or at least add some tone to your voice, so it doesn't sound as though you're planning on killing someone," I replied, scoffing at the thought of Claude actually leading someone into thinking that.

"As you wish, my lady." I cringed. He was back to using the formalities again. Eh, I'll let it slide. I mean, I guess I am asking way too much of him since I'm practically asking him to change his character. "As I said before, are you going to follow through with the idea I pitched to you?" Much better.

"Ah…sure… I don't know how it'd work though. I have no experience whatsoever with being a noble."

"That's not a problem. You will be Lady Faustus, and I will be Count Faustus. We will be the newlywed couple that has moved here from France, so they won't be suspicious of our background." I thought over his idea and decided that it was a good one since there weren't that many flaws that I could hypothetically come up with. "That way, we will be able to be closer to the Queen and hopefully gain her favor." I flashed him a toothy grin as I nodded my head, signaling that _I_ agreed with his idea. "As soon as you give the order, I will set out and adjust everything to your bidding, my lady."

"Claude, I order you to build a manor for us to live in, and establish a noble background for us."

"Yes, my lady." And with that, he vanished in a blur, leaving me alone in the room. I figured it'd take him about a few days to set things up, so I should busy myself.

_'Maybe I should visit Undertaker again since we we didn't get off on the right foot last time.'_ I nodded to myself and set out the door. Once again, unaccustomed to the busy streets, I kept bumping into people while yelling out apologies. I finally reached the morgue and opened the door, with the little bell above the door jingling in the process.

I wasn't aware that he had company as I paused once I saw four other people and Undertaker in the room. Undertaker was sitting on a coffin, as usual, with a big grin that grew even bigger when he saw who had opened the door. There was a young boy, a butler, a woman clad in all red, and a Chinese man sitting with the red lady.

"Undertaker, who is this woman?" The young boy asked, impatiently.

"_Hehe~ Ophelia~!_ You came back to me!" He said, giggling in the process. I cringed as I heard my name spoken so crudely. I looked from one person to another, inspecting them closely. The one that caught my attention, however, was the butler clad in black. He was watching me as well, his eyes narrowed dangerously at me. I instinctively thought that he was trouble, and began to back up only to trip over a coffin lying around. My body didn't hit the floor, however, as I was caught by the butler. My eyes met his, a small inaudible gasp escaping from my mouth. His eyes were red, a shade of color not common in most humans. I got out of his arms and ran over to the Undertaker, since he was the only one that I mildly knew.

"Girl, explain yourself. Who are you?" The young boy demanded.

"Hey, watch your mouth kid. I'm older than you, so you shouldn't be speaking to me like that!" I replied back, sneering in the process.

"Now, now. A lady such as yourself shouldn't make those kinds of faces, it'll mar your beauty," the butler said as he pushed the young boy back and began advancing on me. His mouth was twitching upwards into a smirk, a seductive one at that. I began feeling uncomfortable as his gloved hand grabbed my arm and yanked me to him. I got even more scared when he placed his nose next to my hair and inhaled deeply. I yelped and tried to get away.

"Sebastian! Let her go at once!" The young boy demanded, and instantly my limbs were freed as I quickly backed up from the butler. He only stood there smirking as he took his place next to the young boy. "I won't ask again, what is your name?"

"O-Ophelia. Ophelia-," I paused. _'Should I give out my real name? No, that wouldn't do.'_ "-Faustus. Why? What do you want with me?" I asked frantically.

"Oh Ciel, you're scaring the poor girl! Come now, don't be so intimidating, nephew," the lady clad in red turned to me and shot me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about my nephew's behavior, he can be quite scary sometimes. Now, you said your name was Ophelia, correct? What are you doing here, dear?" Her voice seemed to calm me down a bit as my muscles relaxed a bit.

"I just came here to visit Undertaker, but I didn't know he would be having guests. I'm sorry for intruding." I fiddled with my fingers, looking anywhere but at the four strangers before me.

"Oh, no it's fine. We've just about finished our business here and were about to get going before you came in, so no worries." I glanced over to the young boy I assumed was named Ciel. "Ciel, don't be prude, introduce yourself."

The short blue haired, blue eyed boy lightly glared at the woman clad in all red before speaking. "Yes, Madam Red. My name is Ciel Phantomhive of the Phantom Toy Company and this," he gestured to his butler, "is my butler Sebastian Michaelis."

"Pleased to meet you, my lady," Sebastian said as he bowed. I eased up a little bit and nodded towards him.

"Well, that still doesn't say how a creepy man such as Undertaker would know a lovely lady such as yourself," a voice said next to me. I flinched and looked to my left as the Chinese man sat there, smoking from a pipe. "My name is Lau, you should get used to it as I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around." I didn't know what his words meant, but they didn't sound too good.

"Ah, now that introductions are done, where are you from? I haven't seen your face around here before." The bell over the door brought all of our attention to the new visitor that had just entered. Claude was standing there, dressed as a noble with a dark overcoat hanging on his shoulders with his face hidden by the top hat he was wearing. He took it off and brushed his hair back, then looked at me.

"Ophelia, there you are. I was looking for you, dear. You had me worried when you ran off." I was confused at first as to what he was saying, but eventually caught on when he had called me "dear". So the charade has now started.

"I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to alarm you like that…I just wanted to visit an old friend." I quickly made my way over to him and stood by his side. He looked down at me and flickered his eyes over to Sebastian. I raised my eyebrow in return, our quick exchanges went unnoticed.

"Ophelia, you didn't mention you were married. Who is your handsome husband?" Madam Red asked, looking as if she were about to jump on Claude.

"I am Claude Faustus, and this," he said putting his arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him, "is my wife, Ophelia. We just moved here from France as we felt it was time for a change in scenery," he said, returning a small smile to Madam Red. She seemed to be caught in his trap as she blushed and grabbed Ciel.

"Ciel, I think it's time to go. We're done here with the investigation," she said, beginning to pull him towards the door. He let out a groan and pushed his aunt's hand off of his shoulder. He began to walk out of the door, with Claude and I standing in the same spot watching them leave. Sebastian was the last one to leave. In the process of walking by me, he once more inhaled deeply and shot me a smirk. I felt Claude's grip on my waist tighten as my body was now pressed against his side protectively. I looked up at Claude's face and saw that he was glaring at Sebastian's retreating figure. Once the door shut, I quickly pried Claude off of me and demanded an explanation.

"Claude, what was that? Why were you being hostile to Sebastian?" Undertaker chuckled at my question and lifted his left leg, then placed it over his right.

"Yes, do tell Mr. Faustus, what has your drawers in a _bunch~?_" I looked over to the Undertaker in disbelief at him mentioning Claude's drawers at a time like this.

"That butler, he isn't simply just a butler. He's a demon, my kind," he narrowed his eyes, "and it seems that he isn't keen on sticking to one property." Claude turned to me and leaned down a bit. "Just so you know, Ophelia, you have a contract with me, therefore I can safely assume that your soul is mine. Therefore, by the law of syllogisms, you are mine." I didn't know how to respond to that since nobody has ever spoken to me in such a possessive manner.

"I know I made a contract with you, but since you can't harvest my soul yet, I'm not yours. Don't treat me as an item Claude, that's very inhumane," I responded, biting back some other unlady-like insults. It was silent as Claude and I had an internal battle, our eyes clashing violently. It was interrupted with a creepy high-pitched giggle. Both of us looked over to the source of the laugh, and found Undertaker sitting in the same spot with his chin resting on his hand.

"Lover's quarrels, I see~. You two won't be such a bad _couple~_," he commented as he got up and walked into another room. I let out an exasperated sigh and looked at Claude.

"If you don't change the way you think around me, I don't think I can stand being around you. Don't be such a possessive person, those kinds sicken me." I looked at him in disgust and walked out the door, leaving him standing there in silence.

I walked down the streets by myself trying to clear my head. The only reason why I exploded back there was because his possessiveness reminded me of Gideon and how he claimed me as his "toy".

_'I'm not a toy that a person owns; I am my own being and choose not to be owned by anyone or anything. The way Claude thought he owned my soul since I formed a contract with him was sickening. Did all demons think like this? In such a lewd manner? If so, no wonder they're hated by so many humans_.'

I let out another breath and stopped momentarily.

'_Where am I…?'_ I wondered, while looking around. It seemed that in the midst of my ranting, I got lost. Suddenly, a dark figure began looming close to me. I watched the ground as the shadow got bigger, which I could only infer that it was getting closer to me. I turned around and was met by a pair of ruby red eyes, which so happened to belong to Sebastian. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as Sebastian held a hungry look on his face, slowly taking a step closer to me with every passing second. I backed up quickly and ran as fast as I could anywhere. I could have sworn I was running straight, but with all of the adrenaline rushing through my body, I had to think fast. I quickly swerved left, but was met by a brick wall. I was cornered, and alone with a ravenous looking Sebastian.

"My lady, don't be afraid of me, I won't hurt you. I'm here merely investigating and you just so happened to be walking around by yourself at night, so naturally, I became curious and followed you," he stated, coming closer and closer. My heart was beating at an unnatural pace as it sped up, then slowed down.

"What do you want with me? I honestly have nothing that you could want," I replied, holding back a whimper when his face came close to mine. He was still about a few inches away from me, but he had bent over so that his face was in front of mine. His breathing was steady and his expression calm, yet intimidating. His eyes practically spelled out the letters, L-U-S-T. For the third time, he inhaled my scent and exhaled slowly, his eyes gleaming now.

"It's been a while, but besides my young master's soul, your soul smells quite delectable. Maybe not as perfect as my lord's, but it comes close. It's a shame that you're contracted, though. I would have loved to dine on your savory soul," he replied, smirking and licking his lips. Because his face was so close to mine, when he licked his face, his tongue swept across my cheek which earned a high-pitched yelp from me. "Hm, maybe, we should play a game. I wouldn't mind stealing your soul from your pathetic butler." With that, he bit down on my neck, making me writhe in pain.

While caught up in the pain, I didn't see Claude coming and ripping Sebastian off of my body. I felt my body being lifted up and soon being enclosed with Claude's body heat. Sebastian merely stood up, brushed himself off, and licked his lips dry.

"Ah, nothing can compare to the blood of the innocent, am I not correct Mister Faustus?" Sebastian smirked, which seemed to aggravate Claude as my I felt his grip tighten on my body. I raised my hand and placed it over the bite wound and inspected the damage. It wasn't that deep, just a small nip that pierced the skin layer. I lowered my hand and saw that blood was stained on it. As I was staring at my stained hand, I felt Claude tense and look hungrily at my hand. Sebastian's smirk was still plastered on his face as he began to walk away. "I suggest you watch what is yours, Faustus. I would be happy to take her from you."

With Sebastian gone, Claude gently let me down on my feet. I stumbled a bit, but he caught me and helped me upright. My neck stung as the cold air hit it, which made me grasp it. Claude noticed this and lifted my hand from it. His eyes inspected it, and he seemed to be angry as to what Sebastian did.

"…Claude?"

"He marked you."

"W-What?"

"He marked you, on your neck. The bite wound is healing slowly and there's a pentagram replacing it." I gasped as I tilted my neck to see, but it was to no avail.

"What do I do now? What does this mean?" I asked worriedly.

Claude seemed to pause as I was grabbing his shirt, staining it red with my blood. I paused, too, after I realized he wasn't answering me. He grabbed my hand slowly and lifted it up to his mouth. His tongue slid out and began licking away the blood that had dried on the palm of my hand. I didn't know what to do. I yanked my hand away, my face turning red.

"What do you think you're doing, you pervert!" I yelled. He didn't respond again as he bent over and grabbed his chest. I bent over and looked at his face, which was a combination of shock and what seemed to be realization. He looked back up at me, his golden eyes switching back and forth between red and yellow. I got scared and began backing off.

"No, it's fine Ophelia, I'm fine. I just got carried away, my apologies." He glanced at the pentagram on my neck and scowled. "His mark, though, I can't do anything about it. It seems he wants to start a game over you."

"And what game is that exactly?" I asked, concerned for my own being.

"It seems, according to that mark he placed on you, that he wants to see who you will want to take your soul when this contract ends."

"I thought only you could take my soul since I contracted with you!" I yelled back, I **really** did not want Sebastian taking my soul.

"That still applies, but he has a chance at taking a small portion of your soul. If you submit to him fully, then he is allowed, by Demon Law, to take your soul if you offer it willingly to him."

"I would never," I replied, looking down and twiddling my fingers.

"You forget, he is a demon like me, he has ways to sway you to him whether you like it or not. I'm afraid that this will mean you can't leave my sight or else I won't be able to help you since you keep running off."

"I'm sorry, my feelings get the best of me…"

"As a noble, you won't be able to let that happen. You must train your emotions and control them diligently."

"Alright then…I will. I won't let Sebastian take me," I swore to myself quietly.

Claude nodded then walked over to me and wrapped one arm around my shoulders.

"Then let's get going, our new home awaits us." I nodded and began following him, drifting closer to him due to his warm body. We walked like this for a while before meeting the big black gates of the enormous manor that stood before us.

"Lady Faustus, I welcome you to Faustus manor," Claude said, looking down at me and smirking.

_A/N: So how was it? :0 Yeah...I'm running short of ideas with this story right now. I'd appreciate it a lot if you guys helped me out by pitching some ideas :3 ME GUSTA IDEAS!_


	5. Chapter 5: New Beginnings

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 5: New Beginnings**

_A/N: Whoop dee doo, I keep forgetting I have responsibilities and whatnot. :3 FEAR NOT, this story has not been forgotten! I'm just waiting for stupid school to get out. That way, I'll have all summer to whip out some of these babies and keep you readurrs satisfied 3. Again, special thanks to Phantom Hitman 1412 with the beta help! You're so awesome (~; u ;)~_

Faustus manor was something so out of the ordinary that I've never seen or imagined it before. It'd be hard to miss something so…astounding and MASSIVE. The colossal silver gates that blocked the outside world from entering the domain, the two grand dark cherry wood doors that blocked the house's entrance to the garden, the maze garden filled with roses and statues, and lastly the bright white fountain of a spider out in the front, in the center of everything. It was just…all too much.

"Claude…don't you think this is kind of overdoing things?" I asked, my eyebrows scrunched together nervously. I wasn't used to this kind of treatment.

"Well, we _are_ royalty now. I figured we should live like it, and what better way to show it by displaying it with your estate?" Claude replied.

My eyes scanned the garden area in front of me while I was still awe-struck at the beauty of it all, and how Claude managed to fix this all up within the few hours I was gone. I walked over to one of the rose bushes and gently pulled a white rose away from it. My eyes flew back to the spider fountain ,that had seemed to tie everything together nicely, and then to Claude. Claude smirked in return and pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"Shall we explore the inside of the manor, Ophelia?" He held out an arm to me, which I graciously took.

"Have you decided about servants, or about housework yet?" I asked, my eyes not staying in one direction as they kept trying to absorb all of the information I was seeing. We walked through the foyer, then to the main hall. Eventually, we passed the kitchen, laundry room, servants quarters, and finally to the main quarters.

I paused when I realized there was only one room and one bed. I turned to Claude and raised my eyebrow.

"Where will you sleep?" I asked inquiringly.

"My room is directly down the hall from yours." Claude replied, his voice void of any emotion. I sighed and massaged my temple with my hand gently. "And as for your question earlier, yes, I have. Timber, Cantebury, Thompson, and Hannah should be downstairs. If you need anything from them, just ring the bell on the nightstand by your bed. They should appear at your request." As he mentioned the bell, I turned my body and looked for the nightstand that he spoke of. On top of the aforementioned nightstand, was one of those bells that every master had at their side.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just get whatever I need by myself, if that's fine with you." I replied, picking up the bell nonchalantly.

Claude's eyes narrowed slightly at my odd request. "Yes, but if we are hosting a ball or dance, you should attempt to use the bell or order the servants around. Just to keep an appearance," he gently reached out and grabbed the bell from me, and placed it back on the table. "But while we are at home, you are free to do as you wish."

"So what are you going to be doing?" I asked curiously, my blue orbs started to glow brightly as I looked up at him, waiting for his answer.

"I believe I am going to walk around the manor to check up on things, and to add a few finishing touches here and there. May I ask why you wanted to know?"

"Oh, just…no reason." I smirked inwardly and kicked my feet back and forth as I sat on the soft bed. "I just wanted to explore on my own." My smirk grew a bit larger, but it went unnoticed by Claude. He nodded, then promptly left the room. I heard his footsteps head towards the east wing—the servants' quarters.

As soon as I deemed that the coast was clear, I sprung off the bed and ran out the door. I mean, who wouldn't want to explore such a big house after being locked in a hellish place such as that insane asylum? I ran around, looking here and there. Lifting up random vases to inspect them, sniffing flowers and sneezing from the pollen that they emitted, and playing with the chandeliers (don't ask how I got up there).

In the middle of swinging on my fifth chandelier, a young man clad in a semi-butler attire came in, followed by two identical ones like him. I paused mid swing and just hung there, staring at the three of them while they stared back. What was I going to say to them? That I was just randomly swinging on the chandeliers in the manor? I bit my bottom lip lightly as I tried to figure out what I was going to say to them.

"Uhm, it's not what it looks like." I looked around for a safe landing place and decided on the elegant, expensive-looking couch. I let go and flung myself in that direction while holding my dress down. I landed on the edge of the bed, then tilted and fell backwards on my bum. The three servants were hovering over me immediately, helping me off the ground and dusting my dress in random places. I quickly stopped them before they touched anything I didn't want touched. "Thank you for your help, but I think I can take care of myself; if you don't mind." The three butlers stood up simultaneously and backed off.

Just as they did, Claude walked in the room. At first, his eyes locked onto the still swaying chandelier, to me, then to the three butlers. He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Ophelia, I would appreciate it if you did not try to destroy the house before we present it to our guests tonight." Claude said.

"Well, I just wanted to have some fun. If you haven't noticed, I practically didn't have a childhood- WAIT, what? Did you just say guests? Tonight! Why did you let me know on such short notice?" I yelled frantically. Guests. Guests are strangers. Strangers are danger. An alarm was going off in my head and instantly I began to worry.

"Calm down, please. It's nothing, just a small gathering that I put together. A housewarming party, of sorts."

" B-But I didn't have the chance to go shopping for any nice clothes…"

"It has been settled for you already. I sent Hannah into town earlier to retrieve a few gowns that she deemed would look nice on you." Claude explained, his patience beginning to wear thin.

"Ah, okay. I see you've handled everything then…I'll just," I began walking slowly towards my room in the hall to my left, "go…to my room." I tried to walk faster to get out the punishment I knew was going to await me.

"Not so fast, Ophelia. Even though you are my master, this behavior of yours is not fitting. Since you are not of legal age yet, I will have to take the responsibility of teaching you the ways of a lady—starting with punishments and what actions are not acceptable." I swore I could have felt Claude smirk behind my back, but I threw it off as my imagination.

My shoulders slumped in response and I added in a quick, "Sure thing" before retreating to my room.

As soon as I opened the door, I was surrounded by a vast selection of dresses and ball gowns of all colors. At the same time, I was in awe and in slightly creeped out. A woman with tan skin and white tresses of hair stepped out from behind the wall of dresses before me and introduced herself as Hannah.

"Oh, so you picked out all of these dresses. I must say , you have some good taste." I smiled softly while browsing through the dresses.

"Yes, Claude asked me to go grab a variety of dresses that you would deem worthy. I supposed shopping for you is quite easy as compared to our last master." Hannah replied, her face staying the same. _What was with these demons and keeping the same facial expression always? _"By the way, Claude told me to tell you that the guests will be arriving in approximately twenty minutes."

"WHAT?"

**A/N: So how was this chapter? Sorry if it's a little short, I find it easier to update with the chapters being not-so-long. :D Yaay! **

**Sync94:**** I'm glad that you like the rivalry! I like it too ;D.**

**OnehellOvawriter:**** I'm glad you like my claudegasms! That's what keeps these stories going! :3 And btw, delivered.**

**Marystormshade****: You are right when you say that Ciel and Sebastian have a big role in this story. It just didn't feel like a Kuroshitsuji story without them in it :0**

**VampireSiren:**** I'm glad you like the story so far c: .**

**Well, time to work on other things and waste my life away~ Please review, alert, and whatever else you think will make me a happy camper. :3**


	6. Chapter 6: The Ways of a Proper Lady

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 6: The Ways of a Proper Lady**

_**A/N:**__ Woot! School's out! You know what that means! I'm kidding. I don't really know c: All I know is that I have a lot of free time now (good for you readers). Just keep in mind that updating isn't really my first priority, BUT IT'S UP THERE! I CARE! Well, I'm using this time to update my stories, and hey, new chapters may be rolling out more often! :) Also, thank you to my super patient/wicked beta __**Phantom Hitman 1412**__. I don't know what I'd do without her. ; u ;_

**Disclaimer: Have I put this here already? I don't remember. WELL, if I didn't, then Kuroshitsuji and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to Yana Toboso. It makes my heart cry every time. ~crycry.**

I couldn't believe what Hannah was saying because it practically blew me off my feet. Guests were arriving in twenty minutes. I was JUST swinging on the chandeliers five minutes ago, having the time of my life.

"Hannah, why wasn't I given a notice about this 'party'?" I asked, slightly getting irritated with her hands practically clawing my scalp in an attempt to un-knot my hair.

"Because, my lady, if we were to tell you ahead of time you would have most likely tried to hide away in some corridor until we found you." She replied, her hand reaching towards her apron pocket and pulling out a ribbon. I scoffed at her response and lightly shook my head, trying to make my head as comfortable as possible.

"I would _not_ have run away-"

"Claude predicted it; the same way he predicted that you were swinging from the chandeliers in the foyer." She yanked on a loose knot in my hair, causing my upper lip to move backwards in a menacing scowl.

"That man is a psychic. Or something, I don't know, but it's not normal. Then again, what is normal about me…" I trailed off, rambling about my lack of fun memories. I subconsciously tried to scratch my ear, out of irritation, but my hand was quickly swatted away. "Hey! Ow! That's not nice, Hannah!" A deep exhale was heard from the white-haired woman behind me.

"Please do not fidget; I'm almost done. I do not with for this to take long since I have to go downstairs to tend to the party, too. I believe you do not want me in your hair for much longer, either, so please hold still." She frowned even more. As if I were some responsibility that had been dumped upon her. Well, I technically was, because of Claude, but I'm still better than that!

"Hrmph, fine. Just…please hurry, it's hurting a lot." I twiddled my thumbs absent-mindedly. A few minutes had passed as I sat there in awkward silence with Hannah still fixing my hair. I tried pulling my attention away from what she was doing and began spacing out. I was harshly tugged back to reality when I felt Hannah tie the ribbon around my neck a little too tight. "H-Hannah! C-Can't br-breathe!" She loosened it slightly so that it did not hug my neck as much before, but kept its form neatly.

"I apologize, my lady. I did not mean for that to happen!" Her hands inspected my neck carefully, her face filled with worry. I swatted her hands away, then quickly tried to shoo her out of the room.

"Hannah, stop! It's fine. Just, leave." She stood still, still watching me carefully. I exhaled deeply, my fingers automatically going to the bridge of my nose. "Please? So I can put on my dress?" She nodded, bowed, and then turned around quickly to leave. The door's loud creaking then slamming alerted me of her absence. Once the door shut, I let out a short breath and shifted my glare over to the dresses that were surrounding me, like a sea of glitter and sparkles. I cringed. I turned away from the dresses only to see what Hannah had done to my hair. I smiled, and fiddled with my hair. My hair had been combed neatly, and was now resting on my shoulder, the tresses caressing my neck gently. Hannah made me look like I had never encountered the asylum. She made me look like I was born of nobility and lived like it all my life.

I heard sounds outside my window, and naturally, I ran over to inspect it. It seems our guests had begun to arrive, which only made me panic more. This was my first party after all, and I had _no_ idea how to behave at a party. I quickly picked out a dress that didn't have too much flow, too revealing, sparkly, or glittery. Then, it hit me. The perfect 'party' dress. Its bright sapphire blue would enhance the electric in mine. Before I grabbed it, though, I put on (well, tried to) a corset by myself. _'I knew I should have asked Hannah to help em with this damned thing before kicking her out.'_ I slid the dress on, and found it fit snugly. Claude really was scary sometimes, knowing my dress size without even measuring me beforehand.

Three rapid knocks on my door snapped me out of my daze.

"Yes? Who is it?" I shouted, adjusting a few more things on the dress.

"Lady Ophelia, the guests have already started to arrive. Claude requests that your presence is needed soon."

"A-Ah…thank you…uh," I had forgotten which one of the triplets had been speaking. After all, they just about looked identical and sounded identical as well.

"Cantebury, my lady." He replied, as if he knew what I was thinking of. Damn demons.

"Yes, thank you Cantebury. Hehe, please tell Claude I'll be out shortly." I shouted back, and then continued to readjust parts of my hair that had begun to unwind. Cantebury's footsteps were heard as he descended down the stairs and back to the party. The party that is currently scaring me off my wits right now.

I looked back to the mirror and sighed. This was it. This was how I was going to be introduced to high society. If I was lucky, some higher ranked nobles might be foolish enough to be used as my pawns for this game of mine I've started. I took one last calming breath and fixed my posture before heading out the door, and descending into what I believe would be a personal hell for me. From here, I would have to put on my best mask and be the perfect hostess everyone expects me to be.


	7. Chapter 7: Close Connections

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 7: Close Connections**

**Disclaimer: You know the usual. I don't own Kuroshitsuji, and sadly never will. Now excuse my while I go find a corner to cry in~.**

**Also, thank you to my amazing beta (**_**Phantom Hitman 1412)**_** for being able to put up with my long series of too-lazy-to-updateitis. :3 **

Parties were just not my kind of thing. As soon as I stepped down the first flight of stairs, eyes began to wander to me. I began to become uncomfortable, my palms felt sweaty, and it just felt as if I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The looks on the guests' faces made me even more self conscious. They looked at me as if I were fresh meat, something they could easily devour and get rid of effortlessly. I was about to turn around and run back up the stairs, but a gloved hand caught mine and held on tightly. I looked over to my left to see none other than Claude at my side, where he should have been from the beginning. I let out another breath to try to calm myself down and looked back up at him. He nodded at me, as if to say 'Don't worry about it, it'll be over soon'. He led me down the rest of the stairs and quickly mingled us into the crowd.

Once everybody began to socialize again, Claude pulled me aside gently and whispered, "Are you alright Ophelia? You are not looking well."

I pulled my arm away and scoffed, "I'm fine. And for your information, Hannah spent quite a while on my hair. My scalp didn't suffer just so you can insult my looks."

His frown was replaced with a small smirk. "That was not what I was trying to say, Ophelia." Before he could say any more, an obnoxious looking couple strutted over, looking smug and arrogant.

"Why, you must be Earl Faustus." The man said, letting out a guttural chuckle. His 'lady' at his side seemed to compliment his laughter with her own shrill cackle. "And you must be Lady Faustus! Very wonderful, indeed!" I inwardly cringed, but gave them a small smile. I turned my head towards to Claude. "Dearest, don't you think you should introduce me to your new acquaintances?"

"Of course, this is Baron William Mardeford and his lady, Isabella Mardeford." His smirk had disappeared once he had heard the loud, obnoxious voice of the old man.

"Come now, Earl Faustus; this is a party! Now isn't the time for you to be all gloom and doom!" His raspy chuckle made Claude almost cringe as well, but was maintained with a face that showed his joy for the Baron's appearance. "My, I must say, how come I have never heard of your family lines before?" The Baron's smile slowly disappeared and was replaced with a look of curiosity mixed with suspicion. "After all, my family has been around longer than yours, and all of the sudden you are bestowed with the title of 'Earl' rather than 'Baron'. Weird, don't you think?"

"Now dear, I thought we came here to make new friends and hopefully new business partners." His wife, Isabella, interrupted. She seemed nervous as well, and twice as finicky.

"A question here and there, will not hurt, Baroness Mardeford." Claude began, addressing Isabella. "If your husband has questions, I will gladly answer them. Let us talk over here, though." He lifted an arm to guide the Baron over to a more secluded area away from the party. As the Baron and his wife began to leave to wait for Claude, Claude turned to me and whispered, "Go mingle and try to make as many allies as possible while I deal with the Baron. It will not take me long." I nodded quickly and turned around to go back to the party.

As I was rushing back into the crowds, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder which caused me to nearly whip around due to my paranoia. It seems that I am not very good with crowds.

"Ah, what a beautiful blue jay fluttering in the crowd, yet standing out completely on her own." The voice distinctly sounded masculine, and had an eerie vibe to it. Once I got a good look of the man, I began to calm down somewhat. The man smiled, which almost captivated a group of girls in another direction as their 'oohs' and 'ahhs' were heard.

"O-Oh, may I ask who you are?" I questioned, utterly and completely filled with anxiety of meeting a complete stranger.

"Oh? You've never heard of me? I must say, that is remarkable. I am Viscount Druitt—the one and only!" He replied, as he grabbed my hand and gently kissed it. I added a reminder to myself to scrub my hand raw with hot water later just to get rid of the feeling of his chapped lips touching my skin. His lips felt like two pieces of rubber creating friction against my hand; UNWANTED friction, might I add. I tried not to cringe or scowl, and instead graced him with a charming smile.

"Why, thank you Viscount! I must say, you are a charming man!" _'Do it for revenge. Do it for Ret. Do it for the purpose of this mission!'_ I kept repeating those thoughts over and over in my head.

"Of course, I am short of nothing else. Now how about we find a secluded place in this manor to talk about our, uh, _interests_?" My eyes went a little wide and I think he took it as a good sign because he began dragging me away from the crowd.

"WH-What! Wait, no!" I tried shouting, but it seemed as though he couldn't hear me or didn't want to hear me. As I was being dragged to my impending doom, I started to lose hope in myself. _'Oh gosh, this is how I die. He's going to rape me. No, he's going to mutilate me or amputate parts of my body. He's going to sell me on the black market! No, he's going to deliver my head on a platter to Gideon…wait, does he even know Gideon? Well, never mind about that!'_ My ramblings kept going on and on about what he was going to do.

"Earl Phantomhive! I didn't know you were invited to this party!" The Viscount's voice snapped me out of me daze (yet again) and caused me to start yanking my hand away from his. It seemed I had run into a former ally of mine that I met just a few days ago.

"Ooh, Ciel!" I exclaimed as I pretended to swoon. "I haven't seen you in so long! It seems like only yesterday was the first day I ever laid my eyes on you~!" The Viscount's confusion caused his grip to loosen up considerably enough for me to slip out of it and hug Ciel. I mean, I owed this kid. My body was about to be chopped into pieces or possibly violated worse and whatnot if not for Ciel coming to my rescue.

"What are you talking about, Ophelia? I saw you JUST yesterday." He scowled, trying to get me off of him. By now, the Viscount was even more confused. Once Ciel was able to pry me off and keep me at a reasonable distance, he turned to the Viscount.

"You know her, Earl Phantomhive?" The Viscount asked, a large smile adorning his face that hid the malice behind that smile.

**A/N: I hope this chapter was lengthy enough. ." I always worry about the smallest things ; u ; Please review and whatnot! C: **

**And now, here is me typing with my elbow:**

**Cu bbhvgf cd vb bvcvbvbnmngvbgfvcfb bnnjmh (means "I love you readers for keeping me motivated" ;D).**


	8. Chapter 8: Not Him Again!

**Imperfections & Flaws**

**Chapter 8: Not Him Again!**

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji. Never. And it makes me cry myself to sleep every night…

Thank you to my faithful readers and all of your reviews! You've made this authoress so happy! Like, you don't even know ; w ;. Also, thank you to my amazinglicious beta,_Phantom Hitman 1412_!

"I do, indeed, know her." Ciel replied, his deep sapphire blue eyes glaring straight at me. "What I didn't know, was that she was going to be the hostess of this party."

"Ohho, did I forget to mention that when we last met? Must have slipped my mind!" I tried to laugh it off, but ended up having both males staring at me as if I belonged in an asylum. Oh, the irony.

"Well, if that's the case, then I believe I must take my leave now. Pardon me, Earl Phantomhive." Druitt then turned to me, his 'charming' smile still trying to woo me over. "I'm sorry; I didn't get your name?" The Viscount asked, with a hint of creepiness lurking in his voice.

"Ophelia. Ophelia Faustus." I replied, as I curtsied to him, even though I didn't want to.

"Ah, what impeccable manners!" He began gushing about ladies and how they were no longer unique, and that one with proper manners and exquisite tastes hardly ever existed anymore.

I put on the best fake smile I could and agreed with him, urging myself to try to not hurt anyone at this party and damage the reputation that I was trying to build up. Bit by bit, my dignity began to shred away the longer I put on this act of mine.

"Well then, I must say, I must bid you all adieu as I have business to attend to." He bowed slightly to Ciel, and then winked at me before heading to the refreshments area. Once his back was turned, I began to pretend as if I were gagging. I looked back up and noticed that the Viscount was trying to charm another girl into following him into the 'secluded place'.

I cringed this time, and was happy I was able to display it publicly. I turned back to Ciel. "Well…I guess I should say thanks. You kind of saved me from almost getting mutilated and whatnot, so I guess we're on good terms." I grinned and elbowed him slightly, which was practically a shove to him seeing as how he lost his footing and stumbled.

"Watch yourself, Faustus!" He warned, his grumpiness coming into play. "That's not how a lady behaves."

"Gah! Lady this, lady that! Maybe I don't want to be a proper lady, Ciel." I pouted, and folded my arms. "I mean, you're lucky you were born a boy! Ladies have to wear this death contraption that's currently constricting my lungs and ability to breathe!" I continued to rant on about the wonders of being a boy and the cons of being a girl before I was interrupted by a familiar voice that sent shivers down my spine.

"Now, that won't do, will it?" A deep, rich voice sounded behind me. I turned my head slightly to see the only person I really didn't want to see. Sebastian. Michaelis.

I displayed my disgust externally, allowing him to bask in my hatefulness. "Yeah, it won't do. But I don't see how it's your business. Now if you excuse me, I have a party I need to help host." I turned my nose and began walking away before I felt a sharp sting on my neck. I turned back around to see Ciel mingling with other nobles and Sebastian smirking, like the devil he is, at me. I glared back and decided to high tail it away from him. Before I got that far, I had bumped into our favorite blue haired, blue eyed boy wonder. It seemed as though fate wouldn't let us separate for even a few minutes.

"Ah, Ciel."

"Ophelia."

A friendly meeting had taken a wrong turn down awkward roads as we both stood there, his eyes locked directly onto my face while I averted my eyes. "So, what brings you here…you know."

His face practically held a 'are you stupid?' look. "Ophelia, I just saw you literally two minutes ago and you're asking this question, why?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if stupidity was an infectious disease.

"Hey! I know that! I just…say the first thing that comes to my mind when I'm nervous. That's all." I rubbed my forearms absent-mindedly. "No need to be mean about it."

"My apologies." His blue eyes shifted over to where it seemed Baron Mardeford and his wife were standing, both laughing their hoarse laughs. He scowled and his right eye seemed to twitch even though it was hidden behind his usual black eye patch.

"Ah, I see you don't like their laughs either." I smiled slightly, trying not to show my irritation with that obese man and his skinny-stick wife. Baron Mardeford was laughing whole heartedly at everything Claude seemed to say while his wife seemed to try to get away from her husband and closer to Claude. He was old beyond his years while she was young and still naïve. Opposites do attract, I suppose.

"I don't. The Baron has been trying to get a cut of my toy company lately, with nothing to offer on his end of the business." His eyes narrowed and his distaste showed greatly. "That man is nothing but trouble."

"I agree. I wonder what he was asking Claude, though. He seemed suspicious of us." I pondered about the old man and the conniving young woman that was his wife.

"Now that I think of it, you only became of nobility lately due to that demon butler of yours. Isn't that right?" His gaze turned to me, which made me slightly nervous.

"Yes, that's right. But please, Ciel, I only want revenge for the innocent souls that suffered along side me." My eyes became pleading. "Just, please, don't do anything to expose me."

He paused for a minute, "Just don't get in my way of my revenge and you'll be fine." He began to walk away, but paused mid-step. "And another advice is to climb higher up the ladder to find more sources. But if you do anything that is involved with the Queen, I'm afraid we won't be able to maintain our 'good terms'." He nodded to me, then walked off back to the party, leaving me standing there with my thoughts. I turned around to head back to the group of chattering nobles, but bumped into something stiff and muscular. I looked up to see that Claude had finished talking to the Mardefords and had been looking for me.

"Did anything happen?" I asked, my curiosity besting me. Just as we were about to walk to the door to go outside, the small private orchestra Claude had hired had begun to play a slow song. I watched as everybody began to grab their partner, or linger along the walls. It was awkward as Claude and I were almost close to the middle of the ball room, and weren't dancing while everybody else began to. Just as I was about to turn back to Claude, I felt him grab my hand with one hand and place his other hand on my waist. My face began to heat up as nobody had ever held me like this, and the fact that I had never learned to dance before. "C-Claude! I don't know how to dance!" I quickly whispered.

"It's fine. Follow my lead. I'll explain what happened as we dance." Slowly but surely, I began to follow his lead and soon enough, we were what you would call 'dancing' save for the occasion where I would accidentally step on his feet which caused him to cringe slightly. "Now, the Mardefords wanted to strike up a business deal with us, but I politely declined."

"Why?" I recalled the Baron wanting to do business with Ciel, too.

"He wanted nothing else but to climb higher to the Queen's graces and make an ally." He responded, then glared slightly as I interrupted him.

"But I thought you wanted us to make allies like him?" I whispered again, confusion written all over my face.

"Allies, yes. But not with his kind. We are to try to find allies that are above us, that can help us gain favor with the Queen." He replied.

"Well, I don't think that'll be a problem. I ran into Ciel earlier and he gave me some advice." Claude's eyes narrowed considerably at the mention of Ciel. "Oh, and please don't ever invite a man named Druitt to our parties. Ever. He harassed me and I could have sworn he wanted to amputate my limbs or something." Claude shot me a look of confusion. "Call it a hunch."

"Was that boy's butler with him?" He asked. Wow, he wasted no time getting straight to the point.

I paused at first, thinking over my words carefully. "Yes, but he didn't do much damage. Just an awkward 'hello' and that was it. Well, I pretty much ran away from him after without saying anything, but that's about it." Claude looked as if he were in deep thought as we moved across the dance floor.

"Ah. I will deal with that some other time then. But other than that, I believe I have made us some allies in the business area and have helped us climb higher on the social ladder. But I do believe this party has come to an end." Claude signalled to the leaving guests with his eyes, and then switched his gaze back to me.

"Can I trust you to escort every last guest out of the manor? I'm tired and today was a bit too much for me." He nodded, and then bowed.

"Yes, my lady." I sighed and rubbed my temples a bit before walking up the steps and having Hannah help me out of my dress. Today was a _really_ long day. It made me just want to climb in my bed and pass out for weeks. A girl like me wasn't just accustomed to this kind of life.

**A/N: Okay, so how did you like the party the duo hosted? :0 I really had almost no idea what I was doing the whole time, HEEHEHEH. But yes, I got back into the whole, "ILOVEUCLAUDE" phase again shortly after re-watching the Kuroshitsuji series. Don't blame me; blame Yana Toboso for having a series with SO MANY hot men. As usual, review and whatnot please :3.**


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